The Sadness of the Askran Prince
by Subatomic Plays2026
Summary: Sharena was gone- Alfonse knew that; she died in front of his very eyes. He had lost hope- but he knew she would've wanted him to keep fighting, so he would. A short story about Book III in Fire Emblem Heroes.
1. Alfonse

If Alfonse could've been able to choose, it would've been himself to die- not Sharena.

If she were still alive, she could be smiling at him and reassuring him everything was going to be fine- and he would've been annoyed with her company, but still love her for her kindness.

He covered his eyes with his hands and cried quietly; in his room, no one could disturb him or hear him in this weak state.

Emerald eyes appeared in his mind, cherry lips formed a wide smile, and blonde hair with pink at the tips blew gently to the direction of the wind.

The image made him grow weaker and he cried, a scream wanting to escape him- but he knew he would attract heroes or servants, so he stayed shut.

His sapphire eyes glowed with sadness, tears filling up and his hands quickly wiped them away. He sobbed -louder than before- and threw himself on his bed, planting his head on the fluffy pillow; but he barely felt it, the sadness and pain in his body not allowing him to feel it's fluffiness.

He looked at the window- nighttime already, he thought- and sat up, hands pulling him upwards to stand up. He walked towards his closet and opened it, looking for his nightclothes- he stopped, a knock on the door catching his attention. He slowly turned, his eyes looking at the handle, which kept turning but could not open- signaling it was locked.

He walked, taking deliberate steps towards the golden door. He reached his hand out and he unlocked the double-door, and the handle turned; the door slowly opening to reveal Eir, the princess of the realm of the dead. Her blue eyes shown sadly, and she forced a tiny yet sad smile on her strawberry lips.

"I am sorry for the Akran princess' death." She bowed delicately, her hands grabbing the edge of her black and white gown. "I apologize on my mother's behalf- even if she does not wish for it." She stood up, hands dropping to her sides "Good night, Prince Alfonse."

And the princess turned around and left- but he was not left alone as Anna immediately stepped in front of him. "Our summoner is keeping an eye on her," She looked at Eir, who was walking away, and in a whisper, she said, "But he says she has done nothing suspicious; all he says she does is train in the yard, eat (obviously) and speaks to other heroes." Anna sighed, pressing a hand to her cheek. "She is a strange one..."

Alfonse nodded, trying to hide his face -which was filled with tear stains along with his flushed cheeks. He turned on his heel and whispered a good night to the Commander. She responded with the same thing and left. Once she was gone, he closed the doors and walked towards his bed.

He didn't feel like changing- his body did not feel like it- he could sleep with his usual Askran attire- after all, it wasn't even hard to sleep with- but he removed his cape and the armor, to feel a little more comfortable.

And he lay down, sleep taking over before he even knew it.


	2. Eir

Eir walked away from the Askran prince's room; she knew he was sad- she could hear his sobs when she passed by his room. She would've been confused if she hadn't heard of the Askran princess' death.

She had decided to stop by and apologize for her mother's behavior- her mother was once peaceful, treating Eir kindly; before turning war-loving and forcing Eir to join the heroes and slay them once distracted.

Eir was going to do that- but soon she had started liking the heroes; they treated her like a friend and she could not betray them after such kind acts towards her (She was originally to be their prisoner, but the summoner told her no such thing was needed, but they would slay her immediately if she did something suspicious).

She thought they would hate her for the princess' death, but instead, they smiled sadly at her and told her it wasn't her fault that her mother killed their beloved princess.

She, too, was crying- crying to have her old mother back, crying to have Sharena, the one who treated her most kindly, back- but even that could do no more than take away the tears that forced themselves to not come out.

Like the prince, Eir had thrown herself on her bed and cried. She wished her mother would understand that Eir wanted peace and immediately stop her evil doings, but the queen wanted revenge- revenge that her kingdom was sealed away from earth- and Askr was her target.

Eir thought the Askrans would've been evil and merciless- but she saw no such thing but kindness and peace in the people's eyes.

She sighed, grabbing the red blankets and covering herself with them. They were warm and cozy, but she did not feel it's coziness- the pain and the cold in her heart did not allow her to do so.

Yet she did not sleep- she knew the nightmares would come back if she slept and torment her.

Those visions of the Askran princess wearing a white gown, colorless roses filling the garden, emerald eyes glowing with no expression- the radiant yet dead princess, Sharena, was beautiful even in the midst of death.

And Eir was frightened.


	3. Lif, Thrasir and Sharena

The white gown slid on the ground- yet she did not notice. Her emerald eyes were too busy looking around the forest for an exit- Lif and Thrasir following behind the Askran princess.

Sharena's hands carried a tome of fell magic, it's power radiating through her entire body. Her blonde hair with pink at the tips was held down- only a white rose to rest on it.

She walked calmly, obviously not worried about her safety- the tome was her protection; it held a barrier around her, so no danger would come- but for Lif and Thrasir; it was not the same. They could suffer harm whenever it came, unlike Sharena, but they were strong enough to endure it- after all: they weren't called legends for nothing.

Sharena's bare feet gently hit the ground, and it felt like a sensation she had wished to feel again after dying- but those senses were nowhere to be found in the new Sharena; the one whose soul was gone- and only a puppet remained inside.

She found a tiny light and followed it without worry, but both guards stopped for a short moment before following, doubting the princess' senses.

The three of them stopped, being greeted by a moon and a starry sky, and Lif and Thrasir grinned- but Sharena's expressionless face remained. But their grins faded, once feeling danger going their direction. Thrasir let her green tome open, and Lif sheathed his sword from its sheath, right after throwing the Askran princess over his shoulder for protection- he knew she needed no such thing, but her tome could be broken by an arrow or magic and her defenses would shatter.

They waited, getting in a battle stance, for their enemy to show up but after a while, they decided it was not worth their time- the enemy had fled before they could've been able to see him or her- and they walked away; Lif putting the emotionless princess down on the ground and putting his sword back, Thrasir doing the same with her tome.

They wandered for a while before they found their destination: a town that belonged to Askr- and the two guards hoped there would be villagers to slaughter.

And they destroyed it- both of them grinning while the princess just attacked without a care (No joke; she was still emotionless); and when morning came, they heard the sound of horses galloping and shouts from soldiers to send aid to those still alive, or tell the king, but they cared not. They only grinned (except Sharena) and ran away- both guards excited to report their success to their queen.


	4. Anna

Anna sighed, worry washing over her.

She was the commander of the Order of Heroes, and because of that, the death of one of her comrades was a weight thrown upon her- and even worse, it was the Askran Princess who died, the only one who was able to cheer up the heroes if something bad happened.

Now, none could smile again without her joy to cheer them up or raise up their morale. She didn't blame Eir- the princess had done nothing wrong- it was her mother who had done it, not her- but suspicion still lay.

She had watched the princess ever since she stepped inside the castle- but nothing wrong occurred; she only acted like any other: talk, eat, greet people in the morning, and train in the fields.

And that raised Anna's suspicion even more.

The princess of an enemy kingdom just coming, wanting to join and doing nothing wrong is just...strange to Anna's eyes.

She sighed, head gently slamming into the book she held in her hands. The book she read was about the enemy kingdom: Hel. After all, the commander needed as much information possible about it to win this war.

The frustration made her sleepy, and she played with her red hair with one of her fingers, gently curling it around her hand and soon letting it go. Her red eyes looked at the window, and she smiled at the rare sight.

Anna had never bothered to look at the sky in the night- and she regretted it now. The moon shone brightly, illuminating the dark sky along with the stars, and the sight was a beautiful one for the commander- but it did not cure the pain in her heart.

She growled, hands clenching into fists. Anna was still bothered by how many wars they fought in a row; first was with Embla, the second was with Muspell, and now Hel- the anger was hard to maintain.

Whenever they finished a war, another enemy would come and ruin their short time of peace.

But that was the least of her worries at the moment. Alfonse was what worried her the most- losing his sister was a nightmare come true for him. She watched him closely when he explained her death; the way his voice cracked and the tears that welled up in his sapphire eyes, the way his body shook was a rare sight for the commander- Alfonse was always calm, and seeing him in such a vulnerable state was not a usual thing the prince was ever seen doing.

And she was worried about her ally.


	5. Henriette and Gustav

The summoner walked around the hallway, his hands gripping his legendary weapon, Breidablik, tightly.

Kiran bit his lip as Alfonse, Anna, Veronica and Loki, followed behind, his hood covering his face from the bright light which soon started fading.

Loki smirked as the fading rays of the sun hit her skin, her purple hair gently blew in the wind.

Veronica blinked, red eyes staring at Loki in suspicion. She still did not trust the trickster and kept an eye on her ever since meeting her.

Alfonse did not speak, his eyes only staring at the ground as his cheeks remained with tear stains. His blue eyes looked at Kiran- before drawing his attention back at the ground.

"Wait!" A woman shouted and they turned around to look at Alfonse and Sharena's parents, Henriette and Gustav.

Henriette's green eyes were filled with worry, while Gustav remained serious, his attention going to his son, who did nothing but stare at the ground.

"We've already lost Sharena and..." Henriette froze, taking a deep breath and then letting it out. She smiled sadly "and all we have is Alfonse, so we... don't want to lose him too..."

Alfonse looked up at his mother, and his eyes were sad- his hand gently fell from his sword, Fólkvangr, and to his side- and he sniffed, soon looking away.

Anna patted his shoulder and smiled "Don't worry, your highness, I'll keep him safe- even if it costs me my life." She looked at the Askran prince and frowned "But he hasn't spoken since... 'the incident' and he doesn't do anything but be locked in his room."

Gustav frowned, eyes scanning his son with annoyance. He loved his daughter- of course- but he was not happy with his son's behaviour after her death.

Veronica frowned and walked towards him, smacking his head with her palm, and being answered with a sad growl and a weak glare.

"He is still alive, I see..." The princess of Emblia whispered, smacking his head again and sighing, walking back to Loki's side and earning a chuckle from the trickster.

"Maybe I should shape-shift into Sharena, maybe that will make him happy again." She giggled as he looked at her- but his eyes were too depressed and she stopped, staying silent.

Henriette walked slowly towards her beloved son and engulfed him into a big hug, his hands wrapped around her back and he buried his face into her shoulder, allowing himself to cry freely.

Gustav closed his eyes ashamed at his son's sudden behaviour, but he remained silent, allowing his wife to have a small and heartwarming moment with their son. He was a serious man, but he still had a heart and he walked slowly, joining the hug.

Alfonse gasped quietly, but accepted it and hugged his father.

It was- for a long time- the first time for Alfonse to ever have his father hug him.


	6. When the Cold Doesn't Bother One

The wind and snow was a breezing comfort to Loki- but not the same was said by the other four heroes.

Anna and Veronica were practically holding on to each other for warmth; Kiran was snuggling onto his coat, his body shivering as he tried to keep warm- and Alfonse shivered, but did nothing and let himself freeze.

They tripped over huge piles of snow, but Loki did not- and she wondered how stupid they were to not notice the piles on the ground.

Finally, Loki sighed in annoyance at the four heroes and finally spoke up, "Why are you all so cold?" She frowned, crossing her arms over her half-exposed chest "It's warm here."

Anna's and Veronica's mouth fell open. "BUT IT'S FREEZING HERE!" Veronica snapped at Loki, who giggled and continued walking forward, ignoring the glared from the two young women.

"But I don't feel cold here, dear" She chuckled at the glare Veronica answered with, and Anna let out a shivering sigh,

"The two of you, calm down," She glared at the two women in front of her and continued "if you two continue fighting then both of you can walk all the way back to the Askran castle- Got it?"

Loki chuckled and Veronica frowned.

"Alright, dear" Loki giggled, walking towards Anna and patting the young woman's red hair.

"If you say so, Commander" Veronica crossed her arms over her chest and looked away, refusing to meet the eye of any.

Kiran broke the conversation apart, putting himself in between the fighting girls, "You need to get along with each other," He looked at all of them "If not, then how will we win this battle? With non-existent bonds?"

Loki smiled "Well, even without bonds we'll win" She smirked, putting her hand on her hip "After all, we just need your orders and -zoom! We're heroes!"

Kiran glared at the purple-haired trickster and received a giggle in response.

"Are you all done here?" Veronica snapped, her red eyes shining with a glint of annoyance. "The enemy is not far- one wrong move or word and we'll be dead."

Kiran and Anna nodded, looking at Loki with a 'you better do what we tell you or..' glare- and Loki shrugged, a tiny smile forming on her cherry lips.

 _Swoosh!_

They all dodged before an arrow could hit them, and they scattered- Loki to the back, Veronica to the left, Anna to the right, and lastly, Alfonse along with Kiran to the front.

Just as expected, 7 enemy soldiers from Hel arrived; their red or green eyes lifelessly looking at their enemy and preparing swords, staves, lances, or axes for the upcoming battle.

And the Askran's did the same- Veronica got out her green tome, Élivágar, Loki got out her staff, Kiran preparing his battle strategies, Breidablik in hand, Alfonse grabbing his sword, Fólkvangr, from its sheath- and Anna prepared her axe, Nóatún.

The heroes slowly backed away, holding their weapons tightly in hand, preparing for any soldier to attack first.

Veronica's instinct shot up and a mage ran up to her and prepared to attack the young Emblian princess. Veronica grabbed Élivágar and immediately threw open the book, quickly conjuring a wind spell to throw at the enemy mage and succeeding, hitting the enemy in the chest with the spell and the mage fell on the ground- it's body disappearing into smoke and the tomes were left on the snowy ground.

Kiran yelled out orders pointing from his allies to the enemy they should attack and looked at his right side, which he saw Anna fighting the enemy.

Anna slashed Nóatún at a swordsman that ran her way- and like the mage, he disappeared with only the weapons as proof of the battle. Unfortunately, a pegasus knight was able to get close to Anna and wounded her shoulder- but it soon healed up with Loki's staff.

Alfonse ran towards Kiran's side after defeating the enemy healers and defended the summoner in battle, who continued shouting out orders to the three women fighting.

Veronica and Anna ran side by side to the commander of the enemy army, and they bought fought together to defeat him.

Anna slashed at him with her axe but moved aside to allow Veronica to wound the man's leg and he tripped; falling onto the ground and then being slashed in the back by Anna- and like the others, he turned into a cloud of purple smoke.

The five heroes breathed out in relief and sat down in the snow for a while to catch their breath.

Kiran chuckled and looked at his allies, "Thank the gods it wasn't a whole army- if it was we'd be dead soldiers working for Hel."

Loki chuckled "Well... except me, obviously."

Veronica glared at Loki, "Yeah, yeah- we know- you don't die and you'll only reincarnate into another body- congratulations to you."

Anna rolled her eyes at the Emblian girl, "Great sarcasm, _Princess_ " and received a growl from the young princess.

Alfonse still did not speak- his eyes only resting on the snow underneath him. He cupped some snow up with his hands, and he gently blew on it, watching it fly away by the air's force.

And old memories came back.

Memories of Sharena.

Her emerald green eyes, her wide smile, and her gloved hands building a snowman.

And he started crying.


	7. The cold snow

Eir sat on her blue, purple and black pegasus, Lyfja, and followed the heroes. She was tired,- she had not rested once she heard of the quest the heroes had been ordered to go- her blue eyes half-open as she looked around, trying to track the heroes down.

She found footprints and she hoped it was Kiran's and the other heroes'- and followed them; but she remained vigilant, just in case it was not theirs.

She let out a sigh of relief once she found them, but she stayed hidden- who knows what Anna'll do if she found Eir stalking them; she'll probably say Eir was there to kill them and slay her. After all, Anna had told Eir that if she seemed suspicious she would kill her immediately and not hesitate for one second- and Eir kept that in mind.

She did not care if death consumed her- death came for everyone, even to its children. She did not care to be dead, stuck in her mother's kingdom; but she wanted- no, needed- to aid them. She loved her mother dearly, but her mother had changed and craved for revenge- and Eir wanted no part in such tragedy- so she joined Askr, those who craved for peace and love, and fought beside them.

She soon got bored of hiding and spoke up. "Excuse me." They turned around immediately and got their weapons out, but loosened their grip once she stepped out of the bush with her pegasus by her side.

"What are you doing here?" Anna asked, one of her brows raised up as she eyed Eir suspiciously.

"I was worried about you all so I decided to follow you." She said calmly, her eyes going from hero to another hero. Her eyes darted to Alfonse, who looked at her with saddened eyes and soon looked back at the snowy ground.

"Were perfectly fine here, Princess Eir" Veronica said, a tiny smile formed on her lips. She looked at Alfonse and sighed annoyingly, "but he's not"

"I can see that..." she mumbled and looked back at Kiran. "Summoner, how are you faring? You seem to be cold."

Immediately Anna shot up "WHAT?! ANOTHER ONE WHO THINKS THAT?!"

Loki burst out laughing, her voice was soft, yet it brought a chill to everyone's spine and the backed away slowly.

"Why are you all scared? I'm only laughing like a normal human does when they've been entertained." She giggled at their brave, yet fearless expression. "Come on? Aren't I allowed to have my share of fun?"

"Yes, but-"

"Exactly, so let me laugh all I want" Veronica glared at Loki, which amused the trickster and she walked towards the young princess and patted her head, earning a growl from Veronica.

"Don't treat me like a child." She hissed quietly and smacked away Loki's hand.

"If you say so, dear" Loki chuckled, walking away from the Emblian princess and standing next to their summoner. "but you should know that you are a child-"

Rustling filled their ears and they took out their weapons. The backed away near each other and looked at different directions for the source of the sound.

Three people stepped up from the snow-covered bushes and got their weapons out too.

And Alfonse's heart stopped once seeing the one behind the two people.

Blonde hair with pink at its tips.

Emerald green eyes.

Cherry lips that no longer smiled, and only stared expressionlessly at the six heroes.

And he collapsed on the ground, unconscious.


End file.
